Football

ABSTRACT

A football including an inflatable bladder insertion opening and in which an extended lacing length and corresponding cross loops are provided to accommodate football players with small hands and to improve the ball handling and passing manipulation. The lacing loops re extended out to a length of about 55-60 percent of the total length of a seam line.

United States Patent [1 1 Presnell [451 Jan. 2, 1973 [54] FOOTBALL [75]Inventor: William R. Presnell, Dellwood, Mo.

[73] Assignee: A-T-O Inc., Willoughby, Ohio [22] Filed: Jan. 24, 1972[21] App]. No.: 220,175

[52] 11.5. CI. ..273/65 A, 273/65 BO [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 41/08 [58]Field of Search ..273/58, 55, 65

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1925 Maynard 1273/65 EG12/1939 Reach ..273/65 EG 2,270,553 1/1942 Potito ..273/65 136 2,653,8189/1953 Tebbetts, Jr. et al..... ....273/65 EG 2,874,965 2/1959 Martin..273/65 A Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo Att0rney-Frederick M.Woodruff et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A football including an inflatable bladder insertionopening and in which an extended lacing length and corresponding crossloops are provided to accommodate football players withsmall hands andto improve the ball handling and passing manipulation. The lacing loopsre extended out to a length of about 55-60 percent of the total lengthof a seam line.

8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures FOOTBALL BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to improvements in football lacingconstructions and is directed more specifically to improving the ballhandling efficiency and security.

Heretofore the basic or standard football has had a bladder insertionopening which is closed by a lacing assembly including eight loopstitches directed transversely of the bladder opening, which lacing andloops have traditionally been utilized by football players as a grippingsurface, especially for passing. The problem up to now has been thatfootball players with small hands have had to grip the ball closer tothe enlarged or fat center section in order to get one or two fingers onthe lacing. This has increased the possibility of fumbles andmishandling of the ball in wet or cold weather, especially when a playerhas a limited spread between the fingers and the thumb.

The improved lacing construction of this disclosure is accompanied bythe enlargement of the bladder insertion opening in one of the seams ofthe casing so that the inflatable bladder may be laid in the casing moreaccurately, so that the reinforcement patch for the air valve and thealignment of the air valve in the patch area can be made easier, and sothat additional lacing extended toward and into the conoidal ends of thefootball will place a gripping surfacein the area of the football casingwhere a player with small hands can easily improve the efficiency ofball handling.

The objects of the invention are to provide an extended lacing forclosing the bladder insertion opening in a football casing so as to getan increase in the gripping surface for more efficient ball handling.

It is also an object of this inventionto provide an extra lacing surfaceso that football players with small hands may obtain a more secure gripon the football and thereby improve the accuracy of passing, and afforda means for improvingthe distance of passing as more force and spiralaction may be imparted to a ball with the longer lacing.

Yet other objects of the invention are to provide an improved lacingconstruction which will afford better all round'ball control, to improvemaximum offensive efficiency in ball handling and passing, and tominimize or reduce the chances of fumbles in cold weather, or

I when the ball is wet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings accompanying and forminga part of the application for patent on the improved football disclosethe following:

FIG. 1 is a view of a prior art football held in position for passingand showing the usual handhold thereon; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the improved footballlacing construction of this invention.

l, 2 DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED FOOTBALL LACING CONSTRUCTION In FIG. 1the football 10 has its central section 10a in an ellipsoidalconfiguration and the end sections tapering toward tips 10b and 10c. Thecasing or outer cover is made up of cooperating quarter sections 11 sideseamed in the usual manner. One of the side seams 13 is interrupted atthe lacing assembly 14 so that an opening is formed to allow insertionof the bladder or air containing sack (not shown). The bladder receivingopening is generally confined to the ellipsoidal central section 10a ofthe casing, and is covered by the longitudinal lacing ends 15 and 16disposed beneath the loops 17 and 18 of the cooperating lacing 15 and16.

The football 10 is usually gripped by the hand H for passing or othermanipulation with one or two fingers (F1 and F2) in contact with thelacing. If more fingers are placed in contact with the lacing the handmust be brought closer to the ellipsoidal center section of the ball 10and this is more easily accomplished with a large hand, but verydifficult with a small size hand. The size and shape of the footballbody 10 is generally fixed within certainstandards so that the playingand handling characteristics will be 7 predictable. The players who mostoften handle the football under game conditions do not have the samesize hands so that some players are handicapped due to small hands. Forsuch handicapped players it is necessary to try and grip the body 10 farout toward a tip section 10c and 10b and yet keep at least the littlefinger F2 on the lacing. When passing a football, the fingers use thelacing as a raised surface for imparting rotation which greatly aids thestability and flight of the ball as it rotates about its major axisextending from tip 10a to tip 10b and generally parallel to the lacings1.5, 16. The foregoing refers to prior art footballs.

The greatly improved football of this invention is shown at 20 in FIG.2. The football 20 has a casing with an ellipsoidal center section 21which lies between substantially identically shaped conoidal endsections 22a and 22b. An opening in the quarter sections 20a is providedin the central portion of the longitudinal seam 23 for the insertion ofa bladder (not shown). The opening is covered by laces 24 and 25, and isheld closed by the lacing looped portions 24a and 25a directed acrossthe bladder opening. The loop portions 25a underlie loops 240, as isshown by partly lifting up lacing portion 24a" to reveal portion 25a.The bladder opening is suitably internally reinforced for the lacingholes by a ply of material (not shown) held in place by the stitches 26which are exposed to view as indicated in FIG. 2, and the length of thebladder opening ends at about the last or endmost loops of the lacing 24and 25.

The greater length of opening makes it easier to insert the bladder andadjust the position of the bladder to the inside of the casing, alongwith aligning the usual valve washer in the casing with the usualexposed air valve 27 which is vulcanized into the bladder. The greaterlength of opening is obtained as a result of extending the number oflacing loops 24a and 25a well into the respective conoidal end sections22a and 22b so that, in addition to the above noted advantages, playerswith small hands can ge'ta secure grip with more than one finger on thelacings. The extra loops and extension of the lacing into the casing endsections 22a and 22b provides better ball control and accuracy vides abetter handle for the quarterback and ball carriers, lessens the chanceof fumbles when the ball is wet or the hands are cold, and increases theefficiency of the player with small hands.

In considering the construction of a football such as that shown in FIG.2, it should be understood that the casing may be a single molded bodyhaving simulated seam lines in place of the stitched seams 2? offootballs made of various separately formed parts which are assembled byside seaming and stitching and other means. When the football is asingle molded body the lacing means 24 and 25 and the transverse lacingloops 24a and 25a are molded in place and form a raised surface in theseam line to simulate the feel of the lacing means shown in FIG. 2.Therefore, a molded casing is within the scope of this disclosure withthe result that the improved football shown at in FIG. 2 may have aone-piece molded body with seam lines and simulated lacing meansextending into the conoidal end sections 22a and 22b so as to duplicatethe football construction heretofore described.

It is to be appreciated that the number of lacing loops extendingtransversely of a seam line is not important, as many footballs of theprior art have had various numbers of such lacing loops. The limitationof the prior art has been in keeping the bladder opening nearly aconstant size while varying the number of loops. In this disclosure adeparture from the limits of the prior art has been made by extendingthe lacing loops farther out toward and into the conoidal ends of thefootball casing with the result that the bladder is more easily insertedand the ball handling efficiency has been increased.

I-Ieretofore the football of FIG. 1 has had the lacing loops confined toa length of about 20-35 percent of the total length of a seam line. Thelacing loops of the fOOtbiilI'Of FIG. 2 are extended out to alength ofabout 55-60 percent of the total length of a seam line. This increase issignificant and has resulted in improved assembly and playingcharacteristics.

Whatis claimed is:

' l. A football comprising an elongated inflatable casing having acentral ellipsoidal section and opposite conoidal end sections taperingoff in opposite directions from said central section, the opposite endsections being on and symmetrical with the elongated axis of the casing,a bladder opening in the casing extending along the curved surface ofthe ellipsoidal center section,and lacing means closing said bladderopening and having spaced loops directed transversely of the length ofthe bladder opening, said lacing means and loops extending into andforming gripping surfaces in said conoidal end sections of said casing.

2. The football of claim 1 and in which said casing is composed of pliesextending longitudinally of the football and being side seamed to eachother, said bladder opening being in one of said side seams to open tothe casing interior, and said lacing means being disposed on the outersurface of said casing for contact by the fingers of the layer handlinthe football.

. The foot al of claim wherein said lacing means connects the pliesacross the bladder opening and extends lengthwise of the seam forsubstantially 55 to 60 percent of the total length of the surface ofsaid central and opposite end sections of the casing.

4. The football of claim 1 wherein said lacing means has a length alongthe curvature of said central and opposite end sections of substantially55 to 60 percent of the total length of the casing as measured along thesurface thereof.

5. A football comprising an inflatable casing having a centralellipsoidal section and opposite conoidal end sections, said casinghaving visible seam lines running from end to end of the football alongthe exposed surface, and lacing means in one of said seam linesextending through said central section and into each of said endsections, said lacing means being raised on the casing surface andincluding elongated portions running along said one seam line and loopportions directed across and spaced apart along said elongated portions.

6. The football set forth in claim 5 wherein said one seam line isinterrupted to provide an opening to the casing interior, and saidlacing means holds said opening closed with the endmost ones of saidloop portions being adjacent the end limits of said opening.

7. The football set forth-in claim 5 wherein said lacing means extendsalong a seam line for substantially 55 to 60 percent of its length.

8. The football set forth in claim 5 wherein said lacing means extendsalong a seam line in said ellipsoidal central section and into eachconoidal end section.

1. A football comprising an elongated inflatable casing having a centralellipsoidal section and opposite conoidal end sections tapering off inopposite directions from said central section, the opposite end sectionsbeing on and symmetrical with the elongated axis of the casing, abladder opening in the casing extending along the curved surface of theellipsoidal center section, and lacing means closing said bladderopening and having spaced loops directed transversely of the length ofthe bladder opening, said lacing means and loops extending into andforming gripping surfaces in said conoidal end sections of said casing.2. The football of claim 1 and in which said casing is composed of pliesextending longitudinally of the football and being side seamed to eachother, said bladder opening being in one of said side seams to open tothe casing interior, and said lacing means being disposed on the outersurface of said casing for contact by the fingers of the player handlingthe football.
 3. The football of claim 2 wherein said lacing meansconnects the plies across the bladder opening and extends lengthwise ofthe seam for substantially 55 to 60 percent of the total length of thesurface of said central and opposite end sections of the casing.
 4. Thefootball of claim 1 wherein said lacing means has a length along thecurvature of said central and opposite end sections of substantially 55to 60 percent of the total length of the casing as measured along thesurface thereof.
 5. A football comprising an inflatable casing having acentral ellipsoidal section and opposite conoidal end sections, saidcasing having visible seam lines running from end to end of the footballalong the exposed surface, and lacing means in one of said seam lineseXtending through said central section and into each of said endsections, said lacing means being raised on the casing surface andincluding elongated portions running along said one seam line and loopportions directed across and spaced apart along said elongated portions.6. The football set forth in claim 5 wherein said one seam line isinterrupted to provide an opening to the casing interior, and saidlacing means holds said opening closed with the endmost ones of saidloop portions being adjacent the end limits of said opening.
 7. Thefootball set forth in claim 5 wherein said lacing means extends along aseam line for substantially 55 to 60 percent of its length.
 8. Thefootball set forth in claim 5 wherein said lacing means extends along aseam line in said ellipsoidal central section and into each conoidal endsection.